1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication terminal, content reproduction method, program, content reproduction system, and server, and, more particularly, to a technology for distributing and reproducing video contents.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to high speed and large capacity of a recent mobile NW (network) and high capacity of an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) recorder in a home, a service in which video contents automatically recorded on the basis of a keyword, preference information, etc. can be viewed anytime and anywhere is being realized. Video content viewing environments through a mobile NW such as viewing using Podcast (registered trademark) and viewing using PSP (PlayStation Portable: registered trademark) and a portable player equipped with an HDD are being developed. When a video content viewing form through the mobile NW is assumed, it is considered that video viewing is realized by a streaming scheme or a download scheme.
For example, in JP-A-2005-184472, it is described that a part of contents is pre-distributed to a portable terminal and the portable terminal requests a server to provide the remaining part of the contents when the contents are reproduced.
In JP-A-2003-046984, it is described that a user terminal receives and reproduces a part of program contents in an individual channel, receives and accumulates program contents when a program from a specified broadcast channel is broadcasted, and reproduces the accumulated broadcast channel program after information of an individual channel is completely reproduced. Also, it is described that an operation for dividing into a plurality of segments with the same data size in sequence from the head, assigning numbers thereto, streaming-reproducing data distributed on an individual channel, downloading segments of one period broadcasted on the broadcast channel in a segment unit in the user terminal, and reproducing segments downloaded during segment reproduction in a number sequence immediately after the segment reproduction ends is repeated until the reproduction of all program contents ends.
In JP-A-2003-288290, it is described that a content distribution server sends an internal reproduction list to a user terminal, first sends a divided file to be first viewed by a client application to a receiver, and sequentially sends other divided files thereafter.
However, in the conventional technology, it is difficult to realize stable video view with little stress in a content browsing operation, an operation of a playback device, etc. according to a decrease of a transmission rate and an increase of a delay time due to a wireless situation varying dynamically. On the other hand, it is assumed that all video contents are pre-accumulated in a mobile terminal by a content download using a USB (Universal Serial Bus), a near field wireless link, etc., or a content download of a midnight time period using a mobile NW. However, it is hard to say that this is a practical method when considering diversification and large capacity of contents in the future.
In Patent Documents 1 to 3 described above, a configuration for distributing a part of contents and then distributing the remaining part of the contents is described, but stable content viewing with little stress cannot be realized, such as the fact that the distribution of each divided part of the contents cannot be skipped.